Rupert Friend to Star in Divorce-Themed Horror Film 'Separation' (Exclusive)

Director William Brent Bell is one of today’s most in-demand genre filmmakers thanks to the microbudget horror hit 'The Devil Inside,' which cost $1 million to make and earned $102 million worldwide for Paramount.

Rupert Friend will star in Separation, directed by William Brent Bell.

Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the story is said to be a contemporary supernatural thriller that explores the terrifying consequences of divorce like no film before, taking a page from Kramer vs. Kramer as well as The Sixth Sense and Mama. Nick Amadeus and Joshua Braun wrote the screenplay.

One of today’s most in-demand genre filmmakers, Bell is best known for a pair of horror hits -— The Boy, which was released by STX and earned $64 million worldwide, and The Devil Inside, which cost $1 million to make and took in $102 million worldwide for Paramount.

Separation, which begins shooting next month in New York, is being produced by Bell alongside Yale Prods.’ Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman, Russ Posternak and Jesse Korman, as well as RainMaker’s Clay Pecorin and Russell Geyser. Executive producers are Seth Posternak and Dennis Rice. Jon Keeyes is co-producing.

“As soon as I read Nick and Josh’s script I knew I found my next project,” Bell said. “It blends emotional, relatable family drama with edge-of-your-seat scares, and Rupert is the ideal actor to bring both aspects to life.”

Added Levine: “Brent’s a visionary filmmaker, and we’ve been eager to work together for years. We could not be more excited to bring his vision to life on the big screen with Rupert leading the way.”

Emmy nominee Friend is best known for playing Peter Quinn on Showtime’s Homeland. This year, Friend co-starred in a trio of projects: Armando Iannucci’s Death of Stalin for IFC Films, David Lowery’s series Strange Angel for CBS All Access and Paul Feig’s thriller A Simple Favor for Lionsgate. Next month, he stars opposite Willem Dafoe in Julian Schnabel's At Eternity's Gate, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Other notable credits include Stephen Frears’ Cheri opposite Michelle Pfeiffer, Jean-Marc Vallee’s The Young Victoria opposite Emily Blunt and Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice.